One Act Play Festival

So Careless
By Doug Grissom
Directed by Marianne Kubik
March 20-22 & 25-29, 2008
Helms Theatre, 8pm

The University of Virginia Drama Department continues its successful 2007-2008 season with a dynamic play focusing on three strong women and the power and consequences of the family ties that both bind them and tear them apart.

So Careless, written by U.Va. Drama Associate Professor of Playwriting Doug Grissom and directed by U.Va. Drama Assistant Professor of Movement Marianne Kubik, comes to the Helms Theatre stage from March 20-22 and 25-29.  All performances begin at 8p.m.  Director Marianne Kubik, playwright Doug Grissom and the cast of So Careless will be on hand to participate in post-show discussions about the production process on Thursday March 20, Tuesday March 25 and Friday March 28.

Single ticket are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and $8 for students and can be ordered by calling the Drama Box Office at 434-924-3376 or by visiting the Culbreth Theatre Monday through Friday between the hours of 1pm and 6pm. New this year, we are offering a 15% discount on all tickets and subscriptions to U.Va. Faculty and Staff.  Also, full-time U.Va. students can use their Arts Dollars as a form of payment to purchase both individual show and season tickets.  Visit www.virginia.edu/artsdollars for more information.

The play’s action takes place in a single fascinating day in the life of a trio of characters who are, each in their own ways, wounded by their individual and collective pasts.  Hester, in her late twenties, seems to have given up in her battle to control her life and is a literal prisoner in her own house and world.  Rebellious and rudderless teen sister Berkeley has reappeared from another in a series of escapist jaunts, ratcheting up the tension level as only she can do.  Meanwhile, their mother, Meg, tries valiantly to keep a peace that has long since been shattered.  When a childhood friend reappears in an alleged attempt to pull Hester out of her darkness, she unleashes memories and long-held truths that reveal the most vulnerable roots of a fractured and fascinating family tree.

“As one of the characters says,” said director Marianne Kubik, “these people are all learning how to live this thing called life.  They are all running away in different ways, but also simultaneously trying to deal with some things in different ways.  They are a family unit, but that doesn’t mean necessarily that everybody is seen for who they are, and that is where the title comes from.”

While the play’s core deals with serious issues, Grissom’s sharp dialogue and uniquely defined characters combine to make it an entertaining, and even hopeful piece.  “This is not a play about finding a perfect solution,” Kubik said.  “It is about dealing with the reality that we might be facing some serious problems, but in the end we will get through it, and it’s not about finding a particular doctor or medication that will make things all better.  It’s about dealing with it, and when these characters open themselves up enough to start doing this, that is where the hope lies.”

There is also hope and excitement surrounding another aspect of the production.  So Careless will be the first time audience members can take advantage of the brand new Arts Grounds Parking Garage located directly adjacent to the Drama Building that houses both the Helms and Culbreth theatres.  The parking garage and theatre are located on Culbreth Road which can now be accessed from Rugby Road or University Avenue.  Parking is free for theatre patrons in the Arts Grounds Parking Garage after 5pm on performance nights. 

The 2007-2008 season will continue with the David Mamet-adapted Harley Granville Barker play The Voysey Inheritance (April 17-19 & 23-26, 2008).

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